OPPO updates FindX5 Pro to Android 13/ColorOS13 (smartphone)
The OPPO Find X5 Pro will be the first of its existing handsets to receive the Android 13/ColorOS13 upgrade.
While Android 13 has an impressive list of new features, it is OPPO’s ColorOS13 that steals the show. It is the user interface over pure Android that knocks off a few rough edges and adds more functionality to OPPO smartphones.
Android 13 – new features
Google is updating its 5 and 6 series Pixels, and OPPO, Samsung, Asus, Nokia, Motorola, realme, vivo ‘and more’ will update later this year. The delay is because most of the above have a user interface over Android, which requires considerable testing first.
New Android 13 features include
- An evolution of the Android 12 ‘Material You’ theme, which is mainly about colours and icons
- Spatial Audio shifts the sound source on your head position, making you feel like you’re in the middle of a sports game, movie or concert.
- Updated taskbar (like Windows) and multi-tasking
- Better stylus support
- Increased personal data protection. When an app accesses your clipboard, you get an alert, and it will clear your clipboard history.
- More granular control over what information apps can and can’t access—including App specific photos, videos and clipboard history. This means you can segregate media to keep some things entirely private.
- More control over annoying system and notification sounds
- Better handoff between Android devices like Google Wear OS, TV, Chrome, Nest, Auto and more
- More smart home routines
- The phone becomes more of a digital key
- Fast pair and BT LE support
Security
- Improved app security with Google Play Protect
- Spam and bot detection
- Shady, dodgy website protection with Google Safe Browsing
- More use of encrypted personal data
- Specify what Apps can share data and disable sharing on inactive apps
- Apps cannot talk to each other and share data
- More use of a PIN
You can read the Google Android 13 Blog for more.
OPPO ColorOS13
I have an OPPO Find X5 Pro with Android 13 and ColourOS13 Beta. It is ‘Beta’ until OPPO, and its Telco carriers sign off.
Think of ColorOS as the grease on Android’s wheels. It enables OPPO to customise Android to its hardware (a vast range of SoCs, cameras, etc.) and implement better hardware and battery management. It also contains Google App alternatives (like files, browser, mail, etc.) because some countries don’t allow Google or some users prefer to use non-Google Apps.
ColorOS is a very light touch over Android, and there is no learning curve. If you know Android, you will know ColorOS.
To differentiate from Google’s Material You theme, OPPO uses an ‘Aquamorphic’ design alluding to water’s versatility, natural, calming character. It has adopted a cleaner, minimalist, rounded edge approach to icon design. It has new animation effects, layout, system hierarchy, illustrations, updated fonts, wallpaper and typography. Overall it is cleaner and nicer than stock Android.
Here are some OPPO ColorOS 13 exclusives
- Always on display (AOD) has new functionality to reduce the need to unlock the phone.
- Specified apps like ride share or food delivery can use the AOD.
- Control Centre gets a minor update and adds a media player.
- Multi-screen connect enables screen mirror and clipboard sync between PC and phone.
- Auto Pixelate privacy blanks out avatars and nicknames in chat screenshots.
- Private Safe stores encrypted files in a private directory.
- Support all Android 13 privacy features and anonymises location data.
- Kid Space focuses on children’s use.
- Meetings Assistant for Google Meet and Microsoft Teams prioritises online meeting audio/video packets and reduces notification distraction in meetings
- What OPPO did not go into was the myriad of hardware tweaks it does in ColorOS to give you the best performance and battery life from the processor. Nor the work under the hood on its MariSilicon X camera processor (in flagship models) to give a better image.
CyberShack’s view – Android13 /ColorOS13 gives you the best of both worlds
Most of the current brands’ flagship models will get an upgrade. Read What are the official Android OS and Security update policies? (guide)
Most won’t experience Android 13 unless they buy a new phone with it. To me, the Beta shows a more elegant theme (I prefer Aquamorphic over Android’s Material You) and subtle, added functionality. But OPPO’s rollout schedule shows even the low-cost A16s gets it – that’s great.
CyberShack did a full shootout on the OPPO Find X5 Pro versus Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra. And the winner is? And apart from Stylus and DeX support, OPPO is well ahead on points. Part of that is ColorOS.
